Senate vowed to fast-track legislative measures against insecurity after gunmen abducted scores of students and teachers in Borno and Oyo States within 24 hours.

Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, on Sunday strongly condemned the abduction of 87 students and teachers in Borno and Oyo States within 24 hours, despite the $30 million raised globally in 2014 to improve security in public and private schools across Nigeria.

Bamidele, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, said the latest incidents further underscored the urgency of establishing state police, a proposal currently being considered by the National Assembly.
He stated this in a statement issued by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs on Sunday, where he called for coordinated and strategic measures to ensure the safety of schools across the country and tackle the growing crisis of out-of-school children.
Suspected gunmen reportedly abducted 45 students and teachers from Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School and L.A Primary School in Esiele, located in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on Friday.
Within the same period, Boko Haram terrorists attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, leading to the abduction of 42 students.
Reacting to the incidents, Bamidele described the abductions as an assault on Nigeria’s future and pledged to accelerate efforts toward the creation of state police to strengthen the country’s existing security framework.
According to him, the 10th National Assembly is currently concluding the constitutional amendment process required to pave the way for the establishment of state police, noting that the process would soon be completed at the federal legislature.
He explained, however, that after the National Assembly concludes its part of the process, the proposal would be transmitted to the State Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval, requiring support from at least two-thirds of the state legislatures before state police can become operational.
Bamidele also urged state governments and legislatures to treat the state police proposal as a matter of national importance that should rise above partisan, ethnic or religious sentiments.
Pending the implementation of state police, the Senate leader called on both federal and state governments to fully adopt and implement the Safe School Initiative as an interim solution to address insecurity and reduce the number of out-of-school children, currently estimated at 18.3 million nationwide.
He said the persistent abduction of students and teachers “is a tragic national concern that negates our national development indices. We cannot and must not allow it to continue. At the National Assembly, we will rise against this trend and put an end to it through the instrumentality of legislation.”
Bamidele added that once the National Assembly resumes plenary on June 2, lawmakers would finalise all pending legislative initiatives aimed at addressing the country’s security challenges.
“One of such initiatives is the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution that seeks to establish state police, which is now at an advanced stage. Another is the amendment of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 aimed at strengthening the system of consequence in the country’s justice sector and discouraging heinous crimes nationwide,” he stated.